Another Day, Tomorrow
by UnderdogHero
Summary: It really wasn't that big a deal, now that he thought about it. Sure, he was off the team, but what did that matter? It's not like that was then end. Maybe now he had the chance to start over. And what better way then giving up Vanguard. For good. Chapter 1 extended.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: RAAAAAAGGGGHHHH WHY DOES NO ONE BUT A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE LIKE KYOU. Seriously, I don't think he's that bad a character. Then again, with the way I think, most characters are justified. Take Leon for example, he's my FAVORITE even after what he pulled in season 2. But anyways, this has been on my mind for a while, and I actually didn't really intend to put it up so soon until I was at least a little farther in _**Apartment B**_, but things take a turn for the worse and here I go uploading another long and possibly tedious fic for an unloved character. Those of you who actually like Kyou and wish the poor guy could just get a break for once(hopefully Link Joker fulfills these wishes), thank you for clicking this.

**Another Day, Tomorrow**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

Kyou sighed as the rained poured down on him, his clothes completely soaked through and hair dripping wet. Every word came back to him, every scene thoroughly embedded into his mind.

It wasn't fair. Losing was one thing, if it was just some no-name fighter, he could understand being thrown off the team. But to _Kai Toshiki_, that was another thing. He couldn't think of anyone, besides maybe Ren, that would be able to beat the guy. Even he knew real strength when he saw it.

He stopped in front of the window of an electronics store. The television on display was showing the results of the nationals final round.

Kyou glared at the screen through the glass, now oblivious to the rain pouring down on him. Ren's smirking face mocked him, reminding him of his current situation.

_I'll get my revenge..._ He thought bitterly, clenching his fists hard. His anger began boiling over as he watched the red-head accept the firs place trophy, Asaka and Tetsu slightly behind him on the stage. He narrowed his eyes.

He continued to watch, his thoughts racing. Was he really that bad? He knew he was arrogant and over confident, but it's not liked they picked him for personality. If anything, he found Asaka far worse, but maybe he was just being stubborn.

_Stubborn..._ He paused, blinking at the screen, suddenly not as angry as before. It was as if a sudden revelation hit him, making him re-think his goals. _Am I really that stubborn?_

He thought back to the many arguments he had with Asaka, and the one-sided ones against Tetsu that he usually lost at against the older boy's reasoning. Even Ren had stated on some days that he could be a bit hard-headed when he really wanted something. Now that he thought about it, his days as a member of AL4 hadn't been the best, and he didn't have enough fingers to count the amount of times he'd heard lower tier members complain about him. He wasn't even _happy_ there, as far as he knew. Ren had been one asshole of a boss, too, and there was no way he wanted to go back to working for that bastard. The thought hit him suddenly.

Was revenge really worth it?

He thought for a moment, unclenching his fists. He had been fourth best on the team. _Asaka_ was better than him. Even if he _wanted_ revenge, what hope did he have of getting it? Ren and Kai were on the same level, and he lost badly to Kai. He didn't even want to think of how it would go with Ren, especially if he was still at that level.

He attempted to think back to when he first started playing Vanguard, finding it hard to do so. When had this obsession with winning started? Was it before or after joining Foo Fighters? The more he thought, the more confused he felt. It was all so foggy.

Which brought him back to the question: Was revenge really worth it? Even if it was, he doubted he could do it by himself.

The thought of storming into Foo Fighter's headquarters and demanding a match didn't sound very appealing, and he doubted he'd even be let through the front doors without an ID card. But what else could he do? Vanguard was everything to him.

He sighed. _All this thinking is wearing me out_, he thought, shaking his head and walking away from the window. _Might as well go home, I already called anyways._

He stopped, another problem coming to mind. How would his family react? He'd left so suddenly to join the team and move into the building that he doubted they'd appreciate him coming back just as such. He sighed again.

That was a problem for another time, right now he just really wanted to get out of the rain.

**.**

**xXxXxXx**

**.**

A/N: In my opinion, the writers just like torturing Kyou. Truthfully, when I first saw him I thought: "Huh, he's probably the over-confident yet stoic pretty-boy." Then I got through the episode and my first words were: "Oh god someone shut him up." In short, he opened his mouth. But after a while his character grew on me. I honestly prefer how he was in the manga, as he has a more legit excuse, but seeing as the anime really didn't portray him well, we'll never know. This is what I thought could have happened if he had thought more clearly and not gone all "MUHAHAHAHAHAHAH REVENGE IS AWESOME" and all that crap right away. I think we have enough revenge driven idiots on the world.

Criticism is welcome, but any and all flames will be used to burn any Randolf cards I have left in my edited-Royal Paladin deck. Gawd the pains of trying to run Dark Irregulars and Dimension Police at the same time... And who else is excited for the Aqua Force trial deck?

**Edit**: Added a bit more to the 7th paragraph and added the 8th for more depth.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wanna bet Imma burn out by the end of the week which is in like... 3 hours? Yeah, well, let's just hope forcing myself to write will motivate me to become consistent. For once I managed to stay awake through most of literature though, so my teacher was pretty happy, even if it meant me sacrificing my group work to finish it myself then start writing fanfiction. So since there's not really much to say here, let's get chapter 2 started.

**Chapter 2: Reunion**

"You got kicked off?!"

Was it _that_ hard for his father to believe? Well, considering it had been about two years since he'd left, it was a bit of a shock to learn he'd been dropped from one of the highest positions on the team.

_You'd think they'd have heard from the institute by now..._ He thought, rolling his eyes. He felt hands on either side of his face, followed by an annoyed sigh.

"Keep still, your hair's still dripping wet." A deep voice said from behind. He looked up to meet his older brother's familiar violet eyes. He honestly hadn't known the man would be at the house, considering he moved into the dorms at the university he was currently attending. Kyou glared.

"I don't wanna hear from you." He said with a scowl. Two years of not seeing each others faces hadn't changed the relationship the two had. If anything, it seemed worse than when he left. "And I didn't ask you to dry my hair, you grabbed my shirt and threw me onto the couch."

The house hadn't really changed much since he'd seen it last. It was still the large, dull house he remembered it to be. A couch, two armchairs, a large television seated atop a long dresser filled with who-knows-what. A few pictures of friends and family lined the shelves and sat in the cabinets to the sides. The kitchen was barely visible past the dining room, which still had the large wooden dinner table in the middle. More cabinets filled with dishes and silverware crowded the room, blocking what little view he had.

The stereotypical rich family, and it disgusted him.

He couldn't bring himself to hate his parents, though. He knew they had an image to keep up. With their oldest son going to one of the best universities in the city, they had gained a good reputation. It had only gotten better when he himself was scouted to Foo Fighters during a junior tournament. Apparently no one expected him to even take over his father's spot in the company anyway, which was probably why his obsession with card games was acceptable.

His train of thought was interrupted by a towel being roughly ground into either side of his head, his brother smirking down at him.

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't run around in the rain like the idiot you are." He said, purposely slipping the towel over Kyou's face.

"O-Oi! Mamoru-nii!" He cried, grabbing at the man's hands. He dug his nails into the large hand, gaining a pained gasp. Mamoru pulled his hands away.

"Goddammit, and here I am trying to do something nice for once." He growled, walking out of the room and upstairs. Kyou huffed.

_Asshole_.

"Kyou." He turned to look at his mother, who had been quiet since his appearance at the house. "Since you've been... dropped... from the institute, this means you'll need to change schools, right?"

He thought for a moment before nodding. "Since being a member of the team required me to take classes there, I'd imagine they've already dropped me from the study program." He said slowly, not really understanding the concept itself. His mother's expression didn't change.

"Well, I'm sure we'll be able to find you a nice school somewhere." She said. "There's a good once a little into the city, but it's a very high ranking school. I'm sure we can-"

"I won't go to a private school." He said, cutting her off. She raised her eyebrows.

"Now Kyou, I understand that being in that program changed your way of thinking a little, but you have to understand-"

"I won't go to a private school." He pressed. "If you try to enroll me, I'll leave. That won't do very well, now will it?" He stood, holding the towel he was recently smothered with to hang around his shoulders. "I'll be going now."

He turned, ignoring his father's command to sit back down and listen, opting to find his way to his room. He was sure nothing was changed, as he remembered stressing the fact that he would still use it eventually, and that nothing was to be touched. He never did like people invading his privacy.

"Hey." He stopped, Mamoru staring down at him. The two glared at each other before Kyou turned away, attempting to walk around the man. Mamoru grabbed his shoulder. "You really haven't changed, your still the selfish brat I remember you were two years ago."

"Yeah?" Kyou sneered, turning to look him in the eyes. "I bet you were happy when I left, weren't you? You had mom and dad's attention all to yourself, no more little brother to look after, no more nuissance to get in your way."

Mamoru glared. "I never said that. And you think I want their attention? Not that kind, thank you very much, I'd rather they chose _you_ for the heir. But no, you just had to go and run off to join some organization to play _cardgames_. Honestly, Kyou, did you really think something like that was good? It's just a stupid game!"

"At the time I just wanted to be away from _you_ people!" Kyou replied, his anger boiling over. "And it's not just a _stupid game_, Vanguard is important to me."

"And look what it did to you."

Kyou felt something inside him snap, pulling his fist back, only for his arm to be caught by stronger ones. He looked up, meeting with violet eyes that held something akin to pity.

"You've lost Kyou, just deal with it."

The tone was softer than the one he was recently using, and Kyou found his anger draining away, replaced with something of an empty feeling, as if everything had been torn away.

"... That's right." He said, bowing his head. "I lost, but that doesn't mean I'm going to bend my will to you people." He looked back up, glaring and smacked the hand holding his own away.

"And I don't need you to tell me any of that, I know that Vanguard has ruined my life. And you know what? It was a damn good life compared to what I had here. So fuck you all and leave me alone."

* * *

The door slammed behind him, his breathing now rapid gasps. After everything, he simply ran back to his room, like he always did when he was picked on or berated for one thing or another. The words played over and over in his head, giving him a massive headache.

_I need to lie down_, He thought, steadying himself on the door and staggering over to the bed. He allowed his body to fall lifelessly into the soft cushions, grabbing hold of a pillow.

Then, he pressed it to his face, and screamed.

**.**

* * *

**.**

A/N: I hope this at least passed the 1k mark, or I swear all these back pains are gonna be for nothing. It took me about 5 hours to write this, cuz the kittens are trolls and think being all cute when I'm trying to work is a good thing. I used a lot of things in this fic that I'm pretty new to, like the line-breaks, along with trying to keep Kyou at least slightly in character. But then again, this is technically a canon-AU, so it's not like it matters. I also noticed most of this chapter was pretty much about his family and house, which will be a little less evident in the next chapter as that's where I really get started.

Also, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do about the other two members of Team Avengers. Anyone got any ideas?

HEY LOOK I FINISHED AN ACTUAL CHAPTER BEFORE 12 AM this must be a bad sign.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm sacrificing the my chance to watch videos right now to work on this. Also, a little news to anyone who's reading _**Apartment A&B**_ by me and Shadownia, we're working on an audio fic for it. Which is why I need to ask here(and maybe update said fic with the same note) if anyone knows how to cut audio files. For what, you'll just need to wait and find out. I need to be able to do that, since she's pushing all the work onto me for this(cuz apparently I'm good with computers, ha) So if anyone knows how, a little help would be useful.

**Chapter 3: Getting there**

_Shit, my throat hurts..._

Kyou groaned as he opened his eyes, light streaming in through the curtains. He'd slept right through the night, not even bothering to get up when his parents called him for dinner. Was he that tired?

A look at the clock, which read 7:45 am, told him that yes, he did just sleep through a whole day.

With another groan, he quietly picked himself up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed. A quick glance around the room showed that nothing had changed at all, other than being cleaner than when he'd left. His bed still had the same light blue sheets he'd left on them, his desk clear of all the clutter it had before(he had a sneaking suspicion he'd find it all stuffed in the drawers) with his old computer gathering dust. The bookshelf on the wall opposite him was piled high with untouched books and games, along with a few figurines of Vanguard units he'd collected shortly after getting into the game.

He stood up, walking over to a dresser that he assumed held his old clothes(he was sure they would still fit, he hadn't grown much over the years, and his parents always bought him things a size bigger anyways) and reached for the top drawer. He didn't even get it halfway open before he laid his eyes on the tall pile of magazines on top. Those were _not_ there before.

He picked up the one at the bottom, flipping through the pages. It was a copy of Vanguard Monthly, with articles dating back to when he first rose up in the ranks of AL4. He narrowed his eyes. What were these doing here? Did Mamoru bring them in? His brother must be mocking him.

Sighing, he threw the magazine back into the pile, intent on throwing away the entire stack sometime later. Maybe he'd read through them if he had the time.

_I've got lots of time now_, He thought gloomily, pulling the drawer open. Realizing he really didn't have any reason to dress nice, as he'd be staying in the house all day, he decided on a dark red shirt and a pair of black shorts. He threw his jacket onto the bed, ignoring the small _thump_ that came from one of the pockets hitting the wall. He got dressed as slowly as possible, not wanting to go down and face his family.

Once ready, he went over to the bed to hang up his jacket(he knew his mom would give him hell if he left a mess right after coming home), digging into the pockets. He pulled out his deck, staring at the unit on the bottom. _Sky Diver_'s card stared back up at him, shining slightly in the sunlight. He had prided himself in managing to pull such a rare card on his first attempt, but now he felt so... empty. He pulled the card aside to see _General Seifried_, his favorite card, which was now a dull reflection of how he used to see it.

It almost hurt to look at them.

He shook his head, returning the cards to the deck and placing it face-down on the desk at his bedside. He grabbed the jacket again, hanging it on the hook on the back of his door. He hesitated for a moment, hand hovering over the door knob, before shaking his head once more, pulling it open and exiting the room.

* * *

"... I just can't believe it took this long."

Kyou paused outside the kitchen doorway, hearing his mother's voice. She sounded frustrated. He took a step back, pressing his back against the wall. He definitely wanted to hear this.

"I mean, really, cardfighting? He doesn't even have any friends!" She continued, acting as if he couldn't hear her with the volume her voice was at.

"He'll change his attitude soon enough, Mamoru did his research. Apparently people that are kicked out never join teams again." His father laughed. Kyou clenched his fists.

"Well, who wants a disgrace on their team?"

Kyou picked that moment to storm into the kitchen, ignoring the surprised gasp from his mother and his father's widening eyes. He said nothing.

"K-Kyou." His father stammered. He cleared his throat. "Did you... hear any of that?"

Kyou shot him a look that said yes, he _did_ hear it, every damn word of it. Unfortunately, his throat was still sore from the previous night, and he didn't want to permanently damage his voice. Instead, he opted to just roll his eyes and sit in an empty seat, farthest away from the married couple. He folded his arms over the table, laying his head down. A long silence passed before Mamoru sauntered in, yawning into the back of his hand.

"Morning." He said, taking the seat across from their father. He glanced at Kyou, rolling his eyes. "Oi, get up, the table's not for sleeping."

Kyou resisted the urge to tell him that the couch wasn't a drying rack, either, but decided against it. Arguing with his brother wasn't worth he burning in his throat.

"So, Kyou." A place was placed in front of him, layered with things he knew he didn't want to eat nor ever wanted to try. He pushed it away, ignoring his mother's sigh. "We've enrolled you into your new school. It's a _public_ school, as you requested, so getting your uniform won't be any problem." She sat down next to his father, who looked displeased.

"It's already the middle of the year, so do your best to catch up. You start on Saturday, so make sure your ready by then."

Kyou nodded, satisfied with how things were going. He half expected them to pick a private school anyway, but seeing as he threatened to leave again, he supposed their image was important enough to give him a choice in _one_ thing.

He vaguely felt someone staring at him, but he was greeted with the sight of his brother stuffing his face, cleaning out his plate by him. He wrinkled his nose.

_Disgusting. And he's supposed to be an adult_... Kyou shook his head, standing up and heading back to the stairs, intent on going through those magazines.

"Kyou, wait, you didn't eat your-" He didn't pause at the sound of Mamoru's voice, stomping up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door behind him.

* * *

"This one I don't need."

Not that he intended to keep any of them. Most of the articles dating back to when he first joined AL4 were about "Foo Fighter's new and powerful unit" and "Suzugamori Ren's amazing winning streak".

Like he cared anymore.

He threw aside another magazine, pushing the entire pile aside. He'd throw them all away, it wasn't like there was anything he needed to know. Wasn't that what the tv was for? And there's the internet too.

He allowed himself to fall back onto the floor, stretching his arms out. The burning had settled into an uncomfortable tingling feeling, which he liked even less, but it was good sign. He rolled over, glancing at his deck from his spot.

_I want to play, but I don't want to play,_ He thought, frowning. _Why is it so hard to do something I want to do so easily?_

He shook the thought aside, lifting himself up and looking around.

_Nothing to do_.

He glanced at the computer, but realized he never really used one much at Foo Fighters other than looking up cards and decks. And that had been his first week at the headquarters.

He turned his attention to the bookshelf, eyeing the large amount of books shoved into it. When had he collected all those? Some were even titles he'd never heard of. He stood up, walking over and pulled out the closest one, the title reading _I Am A Cat_.

Well, he's never really read much, but now was as good a time as any to start...

**.**

**xXxXxXx**

**.**

A/N: Having a phone conversation right in the middle of updating is probably the worst thing that can happen. That, and finding Leon's season 3 portrait. Which is why the phone call happened, I needed someone to fangirl to. I get the feeling Shadownia will kill me though for saying I didn't really care about Ren's portrait, but she can deal with it. Our kittens have torn up my fingers, and now I have 4 bandages on one hand. On different fingers. I've also found out why the water bowl kept ending up upside-down. Dammit, Oreo, your not supposed to test the drinking water then drag it across the kitchen. Anyways, next chapter we will skip a few days to get to Kyou's school life. I've always amused myself with the idea of Kyou reading constantly or really getting into a book. I've also decided on how to use the other avengers(no, not _those_ avengers) Unfortunately, I didn't manage to finish this before midnight, oh well. Hey look, chapters are getting longer. That can't be good.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So after much thought and nearly bursting with happiness after watching the newest Link Joker episode, I decided to write this chapter between watching videos. I'm still having an argument with a friend over who should appear first, Leon or Ren(knowing the writers, Ren most likely, unfortunately...) so I'm spamming her with my Leon induced rants. BUT THAT WON'T STOP ME FROM WRITING KYOU TO MY BEST ABILITY(a.k.a, thinking on it for hours before actually getting his first lines in)

Also, in response to a review from **Spring Zephyr**, it's not that leaving long reviews is forcing me to write constantly. It's just that I don't want a long-term fic like this to end up like my other fic, _**Unseal**_, which I still have yet to finish. I feel that if I keep going strong with this one and keep coming up with something new, I won't get tired of it so easily, since this is something I can pour all my writing ability into(I just started feeling a little bored with the others, but I do intend to finish them). And as for the magazines, you'll learn about that in later chapters, along with something else I have planned...

**Chapter 4: New obstacles**

It was embarrassing, to say the least. Having his father drive him to school, that is.

"_I'm going to be driving you for the first week of school."_ He'd said. "_No arguments_."

Not that he could argue, he didn't even know where the school _was_.

Kyou sighed, pressing his forehead against the car window. His voice still hadn't recovered from the previous two days, mainly because his parents refused to leave him alone the whole day while he was looking through the piles of books he'd apparently collected. A copy of _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ was stashed in his bag between two notebooks and a pencil case, and he had every intention of reading it between breaks. They passed buildings and people quickly, nothing but the sound of the car engine filling the car. His father refused to look at him.

He glanced at himself in the side-view mirror of the car, eying the uniform ruefully. It wasn't fancy, but it was hardly simple. The entire thing comprised of long black pants and a white collared shirt, the school emblem right over the heart. What he hated the most was the fact that he was forced to wear that annoying light-blue sweater-vest and the school's stark-white blazer, which was lined on the edges with black. There was no tie, which he was grateful for, as he really had no idea how to put one on. He had opted to tie his hair back for the day, seeing as it was getting long and he didn't want it getting in the way.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as the car came to a stop in front of a large red building, the sign on the gates reading _Hibiya public middle school_ on a shining black plaque. He glared at the large building, already apprehensive about walking through those gates. From what he knew, classes had already started about twenty minutes ago, so he had no time to explore the campus at all.

"This is it." His father said, looking past him at the school. Kyou said nothing as he unbuckled the seat belt, opening the door and stepping out. "Have a good day." He said, probably out of obligation, as there were people passing by.

Nothing else was said as he passed through the gates of what he was sure was hell.

* * *

"... And today we'll be having a new student..."

Kyou stood outside the door, waiting for the teacher's call to come in. It had taken him a while at the main office before he was given his room number and temporary ID(the real one would be made and printed after his picture was taken) and sent to class. Not without informing his current teacher that he was on his way, however. Too bad, he almost wanted to surprise them by entering unexpectedly.

He almost felt sick, knowing all eyes would be on him the moment he entered the room. He wasn't sure if anyone would recognize him, and he was hoping no one would. Where was this sudden apprehension coming from? He didn't like it, he never got like this entering Vanguard stadiums or when going on stage with his former team.

Or maybe it was because he was alone this time, and there were no holograms to hide him.

"Come in please." He jumped when the teacher's voice floated through the door, the command directed at him. His fingers shook as he slowly opened the door, stepping inside.

And about thirty pair of eyes turned to look at him.

He ignored the stares he was receiving, keeping his eyes on the ground and eventually turning to the class, stopping a good two feet away from the teacher. He didn't want to get close to anyone here, in every definition of the word. The teacher gestured to him with a hand.

"This is Yahagi Kyou, from today on he'll be attending Hibiya Middle School with you all. Please treat him well."

Words flowed between students immediately, and his thoughts had been confirmed.

"Yahagi Kyou?"

"Isn't he part of Foo Fighters?"

"I heard he got kicked out..."

He clenched his fists, biting the inside of his cheek. Just when he'd mostly gotten over it, they just had to bring it up again. He ignored them the best he could, preferring to listen to the teacher's attempts to quiet them down.

"Everyone, quiet now." He said, clapping his hands loudly. When no one listened, he went over to his desk and pulled out a large megaphone, which only Kyou saw. He quickly covered his ears.

"EVERYONE QUIET!"

The class immediately covered their ears at the sound our his voice, amplified by tens. Kyou resisted the urge to smile, maybe he'd get along with this man after all.

"I know a lot of you probably have a lot to say, but save it for after class is over." He said sternly. "Yahagi-kun, please take a seat in an empty desk."

Kyou looked around, spotting the single empty seat by the window. Going over and sitting down, he could feel all the stairs he was receiving. He turned his attention to the window, watching the trees sway in the breeze.

Yes, his day was off to a rotten start already, and it didn't even start at home this time.

* * *

A/N: Watching Alice in Wonderland right in the middle of writing this probably influenced that part up there. For those of you who don't know because you only watched the Disney movie, that is the original title of the book(yeah, they shortened the title we all know by one word. Big difference there) and it's one of my favorites. The series is popular in Japan to the best of my knowledge, so I imagine they'd have copies being sold there too. I'll explain this fic's themes in later chapters, but for now I'll let you guys have your guesses. Though there's one person who already knows a few...


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So I haven't updated in days... that kinda sucks after I said I'd be constant with this fic. Then again, I've been busy with tutoring at school(darn you pre-calculus, not to mention my teacher refuses to help me) and I started playing Elsword recently, so I've been on that a lot. All that, and I really haven't been able to think clearly on what to do with this chapter. Also, anyone know a program I can use to make a PC game? We're working on one but we don't know what to use.

**Chapter 5: A new day**

"Yahagi."

Kyou paused in his reading, setting down his current book. He didn't know what _Fullmetal Alchemist: A New Beginning_ was doing on his shelf, but he figured it was something his brother put there some time before he left. He looked up the see Hagane Ryota, the class president, looking down on -_at_- him.

"Have you decided what club your going to join yet?" He said strictly. "It's mandatory for all students to be in at least one club."

_This guy must not have much fun..._ Kyou thought in amusement, though he made sure his face wouldn't show it. He contemplated telling the other boy to go and mind his own business and not to care what he does, but decided against it. He hadn't said a word since his transfer three days ago, and he didn't plan on breaking his silent streak now. That's prove Mamoru wrong, for once.

_"I bet you'd snap at the first person to piss you off_!" He'd laughed during one of their more recent arguments. They'd fought so often lately that Kyou was almost worried about losing his voice, but it's not like he needed it, really. It wasn't like anyone listened to him at home anyways. Maybe he should look into getting an Ipod or something. With how little attention he's been getting, he supposed it wouldn't matter if he could hear them or not...

"Are you listening to me?" The President's annoyed voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked back at the boy, not realizing he'd turned his head to stare at the pages of his book, the words blurring slightly. He blinked. "... I'll take that as a no. I'll repeat the list of clubs, so that you can hear them _again_."

Kyou didn't like the way this brat was talking. He just barely held back a growl.

"We have a cooking club, art, debate, student council-" He scoffed at this, which the other ignored. "-tea ceremony, and literature. Then there are some sports clubs like basketball, tennis, and baseball." He paused, looking over the list. "Oh. And there's the Cardfight club."

Kyou visibly stiffened, blocking out all the urges to join. He remembered what happened last time, and he didn't want people to have another reason to judge him. He quickly shook his head.

"I'll take that as a no." He heard. There was the sound of tearing paper before the list was dropped onto his desk. "Take that, look them over, and decide by the end of the week, or you'll be assigned a club by the council."

He watched out of the corner of his eye as the president walked away to join some of the other boys on their break, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He looked at the paper, reading off the list of clubs in his head. There were only a few, and not much to choose from. He couldn't cook, and he sucked at drawing. Debate and student council(to this he had to stifle a laugh) required talking, which he didn't plan on doing for a while. Tea ceremony... just no. He was sure none of the sports teams would take him, seeing as he usually just stood in a corner during PE(he wondered if he was still getting credit for that class). Literature sounded good, maybe he'd find something interesting to read from the other students. But that would mean communicating, which was the same as talking. That just left...

_Cardfight..._

He shook his head, holding back a sigh as he laid his head on his desk. No, he'd pick something else. Just because he couldn't do something didn't mean he couldn't join _something_. Isn't that what clubs were for? Teaching the students how to do something.

Besides, he already decided he'd never play Vanguard again.

* * *

_Let's see, class 3-f_...

Kyou walked through the school halls, class having ended moments ago. He was sure there were clubs going on right now, which gave him the opportunity to check out which one seemed the least interactive, or at least find something that wouldn't bore him to death.

He stopped outside the classroom the cooking club was using, peeking in through the wide open door. He had to duck to avoid and apple to the head.

"For the last time, we are _not_ making chestnut pie! It's not on the requirements list!"

"Just because it isn't required doesn't mean we can't make it!"

Kyou stared at the sight in front of him, watching as the two third years fought over the clubs activities. He wanted to walk away, really badly, but somehow he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight. It was stupid, but it was damn _amusing_. He jumped when one of the second years turned to look at the door, meeting his eyes.

"Ah, are you here to join the cooking club?" She asked, her brown ponytail swishing as she walked up to him. Kyou shook his head, holding up the list of clubs. The girls examined the list before nodding in understanding. "Just checking it out?" He nodded. "Well, I'm sure you can tell today isn't a very good day for the club. Or rather, it's like this every day. I wouldn't join unless your really into cooking." She laughed.

Kyou could only nod in response, ducking to avoid an orange.

* * *

The art club, he decided, was far too much work to bother thinking about. Not even seconds before he stepped into the room was he met with another person's face _way too close_ for his liking.

"Hi! You here to join the art club!" The a boy with fiery red hair shouted, as if he'd forgotten how close he was. Kyou shook his head hurriedly, bringing up the club list. The boy's smile dropped. "Aw, your not? Just here to look?" Kyou nodded, and he brightened again. "Well, great! You'll join in no time, once you see our work! Hey, prez, new kid!"

Kyou vaguely wondered just who this kid was and _why was he being dragged into the room_ when he was met with a familiar face.

"Yahagi."

Hagane stared down -he was sure of it this time- at him, as if his appearance had ruined the boy's mood. Kyou instantly turned around, his intentions of joining quickly burning away.

"Ah, hey!"

* * *

_Not debate, not student council_.

Kyou sighed, making his way to the next room. The thought of joining tea ceremony never occurred to him, he was sure he wouldn't fit in anyways. Sports was a definite no still, since he had no faith in his athletic ability. That just left literature, leaving him hoping for a normal, non-intimidating club. As he passed through the halls, shouts and cries of joy from the next room reached his ears.

"Yes! Critical Trigger!"

His eye twitched, the phrase ringing in his ears. He quickened his pace, hoping to get past the room without being noticed. Only by mere instinct did he stop directly in the doorway, watching the players and their game. Megacolony and Kagero.

"With a boost from Phantom Black, Tail Joe attacks!"

"Guard with Red Gem Carbuncle!"

It was an amateur's game, yet his eyes were glued to the table they were using for the fight. He watched as the Kagero user rode Flare Whip Dragon, calling a Bahr right after. Attack, Trigger Check, no Trigger, attack... They all felt so far away, as if he hadn't seen a fight in forever.

Which was probably true.

He was snapped out of his daze when the Megacolony user looked up, possibly to taunt his opponent, before catching sight of him. Kyou flinched at the glare, quickly walking away towards his original goal.

_No Vanguard, no Vanguard, no Vanguard..._

* * *

"You want to join the literature club?"

The club president did not look like Kyou thought he would. There stood in front of him a tall, black-haired male with piercing red eyes and tanned skin. Somehow, unsurprisingly, Kyou felt slightly intimidated. He held out the club form, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. The taller boy took it, looking it over.

"Yahagi Kyou." He mumbled, scratching his chin. "I feel like I've heard your name before..."

Kyou swallowed, hoping the rumors that had most likely spread would not decrease his chances of joining the only club that sounded even slightly appealing. The boy shrugged.

"Whatever. I don't really care what people have been saying. You wanna join, you'll join."

With that, he pulled out a stamp, pressed the paper to the wall, and left a bright blue mark in the shape of a book.

"Tegami Yoshiro, president of the literature club. I look forward to reading with you."

**.**

**xXxXxXx**

**.**

A/N: I don't know how long this is exactly, since the word count doesn't show up until _after_ I save the document, so I'm just going to end if off here. I hope I've overshadowed a bit of the characters that will be appearing a bit more in later chapters and hopefully their future roles, thought I doubt I've given enough description for a few of them... Well, you'll see soon what I mean. Since I've introduced some new characters, I'll probably update again soon to go deeper into them, so please be patient until then.

**EDIT:** I realized I should have said so before, don't know if I have, but all the books Kyou will be reading are all at random. I'm a little short on choices though, cuz I don't know what books are available in Japan. If anyone knows a good book they know Japan has, feel free to suggest. It can be anything except manga, which I don't think I'll have him read yet.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I thought about this all day and decided, why not do a Valentines special for Kyou? Then I realized that this fic is set _after_ February, so that would be impossible, so I figured I might as well update anyways with the next part of the story. That, and it's been a while since I updated, which is bad consider I knew _exactly_ what I wanted to do this chapter and couldn't excuse it for writer's block. So without further delay, here's chapter... whatever.

**Chapter 6: Introduction**

_"You can start tomorrow after school, 3:25, and don't be late_."

Kyou stared at the badge in front of him, the small kanji reading "Literature Club" over a picture of an open book and a bird. He'd been given it before he left, hiding it under his uniform shirt collar the whole way home. It was a dark blue color, the only spots of white being the bird, the book and the kanji of the club's name. It shone brightly in the fading sunlight that passed through his curtains.

He turned it over a few times, fingers feeling the smooth material used to make such a small object. It was his first time owning something like this, not having needed one at Foo Fighters due to them having ID cards. He felt a small smile slip onto his face, finding something actually going well in his life for once-

"Oi, Kyou, it's time for dinner!"

-And then he's back to reality, one where his parents don't give a damn and his brother is the biggest asshole that ever walked the Earth. He sighed irritatedly, sitting up from his spot on the bed and pinning the badge to his shirt.

"Shut up, I'm going now!"

* * *

Dinner, as usual, was awkward. It wasn't just being at the table with his family for the first time in two years, no, it was the fact that they were all _staring_. Was his shirt on backwards or something?

"What?" He had to ask, making sure to swallow first. The last time he spoke with his mouth full, it had ended with his mother lecturing him on proper etiquette and table manners. He never spoke during dinner again after that, which he was fine with, but apparently the situation required him to say at least _something_ to get these people's eyes off him.

His father cleared his throat, picking up his utensils again. "N-Nothing." He said, looking away. They other two followed along with his example, proceeding to eat. The silence lasted a good two minutes before the man spoke again.

"So... Have you joined any clubs at school?" He asked, and Kyou's chopsticks(he refused to use a fork and knife like the others at the table) froze halfway to his mouth, eyes widening slightly. He felt his blood run cold as his eyes traveled down to the front of his shirt, where the dark blue badge was pinned in clear view. How had he not realized that?

"...Yes." He said slowly. He attempted to ignore the looks his family was giving him, but it was rather hard to, especially when his mother insisted he tell them which club. "Literature."

Mamoru hummed. "Come to think of it, you've been reading a lot lately." He said, amused at his brother's sudden change in attitude. "What started this?"

"As if I'll tell you anything." Kyou hissed, the burning in the back of his throat becoming more intense with every word he spoke. No, he didn't need to get into another pointless argument with his idiot of a brother now, not the way he was. He dropped his chopsticks onto the plate, pushing it away. "Done, I'll be in my room if you need me." _Not that they will..._

"Wait, Kyou-" He didn't stop to hear whatever his father had to say, breaking into a run up the stairs and slamming the door behind him. He sighed, walking over to his desk and sitting at the small rolling chair. He opened the bottom drawer, pulling out a familiar deck of cards.

_Vanguard, eh..._ He rested his chin on the edge of the desk, arms stretched out in front of him while he shifted through the cards. _Never thought I'd stop playing, even if I got kicked out of AL4..._

He paused as _General Seifried_ met his eyes, the card sparkling slightly in the light of the lamp. His favorite card, his ace, the one he worked hardest to get... what now? It wasn't like it was doing anything for his anymore, sitting in the drawers of his desk and gathering dust like the rest of his cards. He thought for a moment before pulling the card aside, placing the other back in the small purple case and putting them back into the drawer, locking it with the key he'd found hanging at the side of the bookshelf. He'd hide it for now, then maybe someday he'd be ready to look back at the cards that had been with him throughout the past two years.

Kyou stood up, walking over to said shelf and pulled out one of the books he'd recently finished, _Toaru Majutsu no Index_ volume 13, placing the key in between the pages and replacing the book. If he ever picked it up again, maybe that would be the time he could play again.

Walking back to the desk, he sighed as he looked at the card he'd set aside. He only singled it out because he felt it wouldn't be right to lock it up in a drawer with the rest, which still made his heart ache a little. He stared at it for a while before opening one of the other drawers, pulling out a dark blue card sleeve and a small tin of blue paint in a similar shade(which he'd bought the other day in a set for a project his art teacher thought he'd be able to finish in three days) laying them out on the hard wood. He sat down, opening the tin and grabbing a brush. He carefully painted over the clear side, making sure not to get any paint on the desk or his fingers.

After a while, when he was satisfied with his work, he leaned back and left it to dry overnight. If this worked the way he hoped it would, maybe he could still be with his favorite card and not feel heartbroken every time he looked at it. Nodding his head in approval, he stood up, stretched his arms over his head, and fell onto the bed with a sigh.

* * *

"We have a new member joining us today. This is Yahagi Kyou, don't be rude to him."

Kyou nodded his head in greeting, not bothering to make eye contact with the few people in the room with him and Tegami. The club was small, barely seven people - not counting himself - , which hardly surprised him. Middle schoolers, he realized a little late, really weren't the types to go out of their way to read. Just seeing this many people made him realize how few people he'd get along with at this school.

"You can take the seat to the right, over by Yamato." Tegami pointed to the chair next to where a small, light haired boy was seated, looking as if he was drowning in his school sweater. Kyou nodded once again, walking over and taking his seat. Seeing the boy next to him stiffen, Kyou offered a small nod in his direction too, which was returned with a shaky one.

"Okay," Tegami said, gathering everyone's attention. "This week's book was _Makura no Sōshi_. How many of you have read it." A pause. "_Actually_ read it."

Kyou hummed, the tone of the taller boy's implying that few people were actually taking the club seriously. He'd been reading the book himself for a while now, so he felt raising his hand would be okay. The boy beside him, Yamato, also raised his. Only them, though.

Tegami groaned.

"Only Yahagi and Yamato?" He growled, looking around the small room. One girl raised her hand meekly, as if asking to speak. Tegami nodded.

"I... I read a little, but it wasn't that interesting..." She said, averting her eyes to avoid his glare.

"It's not supposed to be interesting, the point is that you people were supposed to read the book and give a two paragraph essay on the theme and message. If you can't take this club seriously and just came here to avoid the Student Council-" Kyou raised an eyebrow. "-then you might as well leave now, because I'm not looking after some kids who only want to screw around."

A long silence settled in the room, Tegami's words hitting the other students hard. Slowly, about three of the seven students stood up and walked out, dropping the copy of the book on the table by the door. That girl was one of them.

Kyou rolled his eyes, glancing at the remaining two. One looked relieved that Tegami hadn't taken his anger out on him, while the other looked downright terrified. He would have laughed at him if it weren't for his current code-of-silence. He glanced over at Yamato, who was simply staring at his hands folded over his lap. His sandy-brown hair was covering his face, so Kyou couldn't tell what his expression was, but was that... a smile?

"Anyways," Tegami's voice cut through the silence like a steel blade, causing him to jump slightly. "Since I see only two of our members have read the book," Kyou rolled his eyes again, he wasn't even a club member yet when he read it! "I'll give you two an extra three days to read halfway and write a report on what you thought the lesson and theme was. We'll spend the rest of club today reading, so get out your books. If you don't have it, use those over there." He pointed to the small stack by the door, the one left there by the former members. "Get to it."

* * *

"Y-Yahagi-kun..."

Kyou turned to see Yamato standing behind him, clutching his school bag tightly to his chest. he was shaking slightly.

"Do you mind if I... walk with you? My-my house is in the same direction- ah, I only know because I saw you walking before, I'm not, you know, a-"

Kyou held up a hand, stopping the boy in the middle of his rant. He didn't find it weird, he'd seen Yamato on the way home before. It wasn't like he was accusing him of anything, seeing as the other boy was always ahead of him.

"I-" He paused, wondering if it was alright to speak. Seeing as he was out of school, and it's not like Yamato had done anything to bother him. "I'm... fine with it. Let's go."

Yamato smiled widely, and the two began walking.

**xXxXxXx**

A/N: I hope this is enough for everyone for now, seeing as this was pretty tough to get done. Why? Becuase halfway through Shadownia decided to call me saying it was an emergency. Went something like this:

S: "Oh my god, we have a huge problem!"

G: "What's up?"

S: "Well, I'm watching this yaoi movie and..."

G: "... I see."

And so on. The conversation went on for a while before she decided she was going to make me watch it with her on Tuesday at school, and apparently I'm required to bring popcorn too. Sucks for me, right? Well anyways, that's it for chapter 6. I'm still accepting book suggestions, since now we've introduced a new character and - believe it or not - he's important later on, as are others and I'm probably spoiling everything right now so I'm gonna stop typing and rot my brain watching Accel World. *Navy salute* Wish me luck on Tuesday!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Just watched the English dub of episode 83... and I fucking cried. That's how bad it was. WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO ME BUSHIROAD. And what's worse is, that's my favorite episode, so I had to suffer through it the whole way until Daigo left. THEY SLAUGHTERED MY FAVORITE EPISODE oh well, I'll get over it by tomorrow. On another note, my Dark Irregulars deck is almost complete. And by that I mean I still need 4 Reijys and 3 March Hares. Cards like to troll me.

**Chapter 7: Putting up with someone**

"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet."

Kyou looked up from the ground, turning his attention to Yamato. While he quiet most of the way, the sudden announcement had been unexpected. The boy ran out in front of him, smiling.

"Yamato Madoka. You can call me Madoka if you want, since I don't really like my family name that much." He said, holding out a hand. Kyou nodded, taking it.

"Yahagi Kyou." He said simply, pulling his hand back when Yama- _Madoka_, let go.

"By the way, Yahagi-kun, I've been wondering." He asked as they continued walking. Kyou nodded, telling the boy he had his full attention. "Why don't you ever talk in class? Is there something wrong with your voice?"

Kyou stayed silent for a moment, thinking over his options. He could lie; he'd gotten away with it before, and he'd been told by Ren - on one of his good days - that he was a believable liar. But...

He glanced at the other boy, who was watching him expectantly. Something just didn't feel right about lying, like he'd done it so much before that he just didn't want to anymore.

He quickly shook his head, both to rid himself of those thoughts as well as answer. Madoka tilted his head a bit, humming.

"So it's on purpose?" He pressed, sounding very curious. Kyou let out an annoyed noise, hinting that he was not pleased by all the questions. Madoka shrugged. "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, I was just curious."

Kyou glanced back the the boy, finding him humming happily to himself. He seemed so different from the boy sitting in the club room and at the school gates - was it all just an act? Or maybe he was bipolar.

"So what did you think of the club?" He asked, snapping Kyou out of his thoughts. "I know we're not the biggest or most popular club, but it's really interesting. And Yoshiro-san works hard keeping everyone on task too, so it's always a lot more orderly than the other clubs."

Kyou blinked. _Yoshiro-san?_ "You two are pretty familiar." He didn't notice it slip out until Modoka was speaking with rushed words, attempting to tell him that, no, they were not that close.

"We've been in the same class since third grade, so we kinda just stuck together, since no one from our elementary school goes to Hibiya." He said, face flushed red. It took Kyou a moment before everything clicked, managing to read between the boy's words. _"I was lonely, so I clung to him"_ is all that he heard, which brought another thought to his mind.

"Ah, I see, it's that kind of thing." He decided, ignoring Madoka's confused and slightly startled look. "Well, I'm not really bothered by that kind of stuff-"_ Hell, I put up with Ren for two years and his unhealthy obsession with Kai and Sendou_, "- so it's not a problem."

Madoka stared at him for a while before sighing heavily, looking extremely relieved.

"Thanks." He said, looking up slightly. "Um, don't tell anyone, okay?" He said in such a small voice, that Kyou had to strain his ears to hear. Kyou blinked, the sudden change in behavior somehow unnerving him. He wouldn't be surprised if the kid really _was_ bipolar.

He simply nodded, he could keep a secret. He'd kept more than enough for over two years, after all.

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow at school, Yahagi-kun." Madoka waved as they stopped at his house, turning to unlock the gate and run inside. Kyou waved after him, raising an eyebrow when the boy simply opened the door and walked in, no "I'm home" being heard.

He shrugged it off, continuing the short walk to his house. Madoka had been right, they _do_ live pretty close to each other. Maybe they could walk to school? He wouldn't mind having someone with him, if only to avoid the silence. That, and his father wouldn't be able to bully him into riding in the car.

As he walked, he paused to stare at the small park - and he meant _small_, it barely had a full swing set and slide - that sat between their houses. Children ran about, screaming and laughing their little lungs out. He shook his head, he'd gotten over that stuff since he graduated from elementary school. Not that he had anyone to play with, anyways.

_Or did I?_ He crossed his arms, thinking deeply. _Come to think of it, the past few years up until I joined AL4 are pretty fuzzy. Did Ren's psy-whatever do something?_

he vaguely recalled being subjected to some sort of psychic ability Ren had, right after his crushing defeat to Kai Toshiki. He'd woken up to splitting headaches every day after that - he was still getting them, much to his distress - and everyone refused to tell him what happened. Even Tetsu, the only person on the team he could just barely stand, refused to tell him. Then proceeded to destroy his Foo Fighters ID and tell him he was kicked out.

Thinking back, Kyou couldn't remember ever really talking to Tetsu. Maybe that was why he was so much easier to get along with than Asaka or Ren? Though the latter was a given; Ren had been an ass since the first day he joined the team - not that he could ever say that out loud, seeing as he was being watched by someone probably by the red-head's orders.

He _knew_ he was, too. No one that ever got kicked out of Foo Fighters was ever really left alone, since they were usually thought of as threats to the organization, that much he knew. And he could say himself that he'd seen flashed of orange hair out of the corner of his eye - probably that Bidou guy, the other Pale Moon user from Brilliant Stars. The guy was always trying to get on Ren's good side, so much it nearly made him - and probably Ren himself - sick.

With a sigh and the shake of his head, Kyou stopped walking, surprised to see that he was already in front of his house. He briefly wondered if he should walk back to the park, maybe take a nap, but decided against it. His parent would probably yell at him for being late after only being at home for a week and school even less. With another heavy sigh, he closed his hand over the doorknob, resigning himself to the hell that was his _family_.

* * *

"So, bitch at anyone yet?

_SNAP_

Kyou ground his teeth together, feeling the wood of the chopsticks cutting into his skin. Dinner was never a pleasant time for him, so why did he even bother coming? It wasn't like he ever ate the crap his mother claimed was food, so that couldn't be it. And the wallpaper in his room was better company than these people.

Kicking Mamoru's chair out of irritation, he stood up and walked over to the trashcan, tossing the now-broken-chopsticks. He ignored his bother's amused expression, along with his parent's - whatever they were saying, he was ignoring them.

He proceeded to glare at Mamoru with enough intensity to make the man flinch, stomping out of the dining room and up the stairs, into the bathroom between their rooms.

"What an asshole..." Kyou mumbled to himself, turning the faucet on and running his hands under the cold water. He reached up into the medicine cabinet with his good hand, grabbing the small medical kit on the bottom shelf. It was mostly small cuts that lined his fingers now, with one shallow gash on the center of his palm. There were days he regretted being a lefty, but it's not like it mattered. He was fine with using his right hand, even if it meant his writing would be a little harder to read.

Clenching his fist a few times to make sure the bandages weren't too tight, he nodded approvingly, placing the kit back in the cabinet. He didn't bother rinsing the blood out of the sink, no one could complain after what had just happened downstairs.

* * *

"Kyou, mom and dad want to talk to you."

"Tell them I don't care."

A sigh was heard through the thick wooden door, followed by footsteps in the direction of the staircase. Kyou almost let himself slip into a smirk, but refrained from doing so. If his parents wanted to talk to him, they could come up to his room and tell him themselves and stop being lazy.

He sunk his fist into his cheek, staring dimly at the computer screen. He'd checked all sites he'd gone to before - purposely leaving out any Vanguard related sites - but there had been nothing new. It wasn't like he listened to much music, and he couldn't exactly read online. His homework lay finished beside the computer, the scribbles he liked to call his handwriting in a bright blue ink.

_Ugh, so bored._.. He let his head drop into his arms, groaning in irritation(he vaguely noticed he'd been irritated the whole day, which he didn't find odd at all). _Maybe there'll be something in my emails._ The idea that there could be _something_ to do motivated him enough to lift his head enough to let his hands out and grab the mouse, clicking on the home button in the corner of the screen. His eyes widened at the amount of unopened emails that had piled up - all recent. They couldn't have been otherwise, he made sure to check everyday back at Foo Fighters. He scanned the long list from oldest to newest, eyes narrowing every second.

_27 messages from Suzugamori Ren_

He highlighted all of it, immediately clicking delete. He went over the others, even less amused.

_14 messages from Shinjou Tetsu_

While he was curious as the what Tetsu could have to say to him(seeing as the last message was _yesterday_, that recent) he honestly didn't want to open the offending pieces of data. Doing the same he'd done for Ren's, he was satisfied to see them all disappear. He stared at the last one, unsure of what to make of it.

_1 message from Narumi Asaka_

His glare intensified ten-fold, knowing exactly what this one would say. '_Reply back to Ren-sama's emails_' if he had to guess, or maybe Ren used her email to message him. Whatever the reason, it was immediately deleted, following the others. He didn't even bother going into the trash folder, clicking the small icon of a trashcan and deleting the entirety of it. Whatever they wanted to say, like his parents, they could say to his face.

Not that he'd let them even get that far, he'd have either been gone the moment they opened their mouths or have a fist connect satisfyingly with their face(depending on who it was, even he wasn't so heartless as to hit a girl).

_I better discontinue this email and make a new one for school, or they'll keep emailing me._ He thought, dreading the long process of deleting and re-making an email under a new name.

But it would all be worth it if it meant he was finally rid of those annoyances.

**.**

**xXxXxXx**

**.**

A/N: I have no idea how long this ended up to be, and yes, I realize it was skipping scenes a lot. But that's because, really, most of the first few chapters are gonna be like this until I get the the point where things pick up. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about shippings yet, or if I'm going to do any at all for canon characters and OC's, but we'll cross that bridge - or write that scene - when we get to it. Excuse my poor attempt at humor, I'm tired. And lastly, I FINALLY GOT PACIFICA GUYS I'M SO HAPPY I THINK I'M BUBBLING IN PAIN LIKE WHEN I FOUND LEON'S SEASON 3 ART okay, now I'm done.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Yeah, haven't heard from me in a while now, have you? Trying to update two fics at a time, since I cannot focus on anything. Anything. And school is gonna start soon, so writing chapters is gonna get harder and harder throughout the year. Wish me luck.

**Chapter 8: Making friends**

"Kyou, have you made any friends yet?"

Kyou only looked up, meeting his mother's eyes, before shrugging. He didn't feel like talking, it was too early for that stuff.

He'd made his new email, under a new name(which was really just his old one with "Crusher" removed) and finished up his homework, which was a quick process. The he proceeded to lie on his bed and just stare at the ceiling until he fell asleep. It was only when his phone began buzzing that he realized he'd slept through the night and was supposed to get up for school. That didn't mean he wasn't at all tired. No, he was _very_ tired. Not that anyone noticed.

"He can't make friends, mom, he's anti-social."

Kyou only managed not to break these chopsticks because they were made of plastic, not wood. He didn't need another bloody hand.

He settled for a glare and kicking his brother's leg under the table, before standing up and walking back up to his room to get dressed.

"Kyou! You didn't finish!"

_I really don't care right now._ He thought, slamming the door behind him. _Right, shower first, get dressed, then get the hell out_.

Easier said than done.

* * *

"Yahagi-kun, you look angry. Did something happen?"

Kyou felt his eyebrow twitch, looking up to see who was bothering him. He sighed when he saw it was just Madoka.

"Nothing important, just my brother." He said in a low voice. They were in the classroom, and although he didn't mind talking to Madoka as much, he'd prefer for people not to approach him. If they heard him, they'd think he was open for conversation.

He glanced to the side, where Hagane was watching them from his seat at the other end of the room. Madoka blinked, turning his head slightly to follow his classmate's gaze. He flinched when his eyes met Hagane's, quickly turning back to Kyou.

"W-well anyway, Yoshiro-san said we're starting a new project soon, and he's going to announce it during club." He said, voice shaking. Kyou glanced at him, then back to Hagane, and again to Madoka.

"Doesn't seem like you two get along." He said before he could stop himself. Luckily, it didn't look like anyone heard him. Madoka shifted uneasily, looking out the window.

"It's not like we don't get along, it's just..." He paused, as if searching for the right words. "Ever since we entered middle school, he's been out to get Yoshiro-san, and I don't think he likes me either." He sighed. "I don't know what we did to make him mad, though."

Kyou hummed, glancing back at the class president. He was still watching them, though a little less obviously. Kyou sighed.

"I wouldn't worry. Besides, Tegami-buchou looks like he could handle it." He said quietly. "Just figure out if _you_ can."

Madoka continued to stare out the window for a while, before nodding.

"Yeah..."

He seemed like he was going to say more, but the shrill ring of the bell interrupted him. Kyou rolled his eyes, and Madoka gave him a tiny smile.

"Talk to you later, I guess."

* * *

Class today was, as usual, completely boring. Or maybe it was because he'd already learned all this. He didn't know which one it was, but he didn't really care.

It probably didn't help that people were _still_ staring, even after a week. What did they think he was going to do, scream and flip his desk over(while it sounded like fun, he wasn't so sure he could do more than tip it a little. Not that they knew that.)? He wasn't insane. Although the throbbing in his head made it seem like he was getting there.

So it was almost a blessing when the bell rang for lunch, allowing him to finally leave the tiny(not really, but it wasn't exactly spacious) classroom and it's inhabitants. Until someone grabbed his sleeve.

He turned, annoyed, only to meet Madoka's concerned gaze.

"As I thought, you're really not okay, are you?" He said, oblivious to the looks he was getting. He let his hand drop, tilting his head. "You don't have to talk about it, but do you wanna eat lunch with me?"

Kyou stared at him for what felt like the longest time, before sighing. Madoka seemed to take that as a yes, and began leading him to where he supposed the boy had lunch.

Which turned out to be a very secluded part of the roof, where a familiar face was waiting.

"Hey." Tegami said, looking at Kyou, then Madoka. "You took longer than usual. I suppose he's joining us today?"

"I'm not that slow!" Madoka huffed. "And yeah, I asked him."

Yoshiro nodded, pulling out his lunch as Madoka too his seat next to him. Kyou followed, sitting against the wall. Like the other two, he pulled put his own lunch, though it was just something he bought at the store. Just plain juice and a cream bun, though he didn't like the bread.

"Sensei is as ruthless with homework as ever." Madoka sighed, picking at his own lunch. Kyou noted with slight amusement that it was almost the same as his, then remembered they lived nearby. The other boy probably went to the same store. "I can't take all that math in one day."

"That's because you don't pay attention. If you tried as hard as you do in literature, maybe the teacher wouldn't torture you so much." Tegami said, jabbing at the hamburger in his lunch. "Also, you need to eat more. I know you can cook."

"It can't be helped if there's nothing to cook!" He said. "And I do try, it's just boring."

"It's not that hard." Kyou cut in. While it was amusing to simply sit back and watch the two argue, he didn't really like the thought of someone purposely failing a class. Madoka looked at him, eyes wide.

"You understand that gibberish?"

"Yeah."

Tegami looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "So you _can_ talk. I almost thought you were mute." This man, he realized, was more talkative than he looked.

"You too, I didn't think you were one for idle conversation." Kyou countered. Tegami smirked.

"When you grow up with someone who _never shuts up_, you learn to live with it." He said. Madoka gave him an offended glare.

"I don't talk that much!" He cried, pouting. Tegami rolled his eyes.

"Sure, you keep telling yourself that." He turned to Kyou. "If you plan on being friend with this guy, bear that in mind."

Kyou let a tiny grin slip, to which Madoka frowned.

"You guys are ganging up on me." He said, crossing his arms. Kyou blinked.

"Well, if this is what you consider 'ganging up' then you obviously have not been to my old school. Not that I'd recommend it." He said the last part bitterly, wanting to drop the subject. He only hoped they didn't ask questions.

Madoka and Tegami exchanged glances, before the latter shrugged. Crisis averted.

"By the way, Yahagi-kun," Madoka started, catching his attention. "What do your parents to for work?"

That, Kyou thought, might have been worse. Or at least it seemed that way, as he opened his can of juice. He took a long sip, thinking about his possible answers.

All of which would be lies, so why bother.

"... I dunno." He said finally, shrugging. "I only recently moved back in with them, so I can't remember." _Not that I really care_, he thought.

Madoka watched him for a while, before turning to his own drink, accepting the answer. Kyou wasn't about to drop the subject though.

"What about you guys?" He asked. Tegami shrugged.

"Office workers." He said. He didn't elaborate, just leaving it at that. Kyou turned his attention to the other boy.

"My dad teachers martial arts, but I wasn't interested in it, so I live with my grandparents." He said with a strained smile. "I know a few self-defense moves and stuff for escapes though." This caught Kyou's attention.

"Really? Like what?" Madoka glanced to the side, then smiled.

"Grab my wrists." He said, presenting both hands forward. Kyou did as told. "Hold them tightly, and don't let go."

Kyou nodded, noticing out of the corner of his eye Tegami's horrified expression.

"Yamato, don't—"

"Shush, I'm trying to concentrate." The brown-haired boy said, voice low. Kyou smirked inwardly. _He's totally bipolar._

Kyou turned his attention back to their hands, when he noticed Madoka's fingers moving. There were a few cracks, like the sound of bones crunching, before his hands slipped out from Kyou's grip. He felt both eyebrows raise in surprise.

"What did you _do?_" He asked, honestly shocked. His grip had been tight, so that the only way to get out would be force. But Madoka had done none of that.

Said boy only smiled raising his hands. His fingers were hanging, the tips brushing his palm.

"I dislocated my fingers." He said, twisting his wrist and turning his hands around. His knuckled were red. "It's pretty easy, but takes a lot of practice so you don't break them. And when you want them to go back in place—" He flipped his wrists quickly, the sounds of bones snapping together following. He wiggled his fingers, grinning. "—you just do that. You have to contract your muscles a lot, so it might hurt afterwards, but you stop feeling it after a while. It becomes natural once you've mastered it."

"Cool." Was all he could say, and he honestly meant it. "Can you show me how?" Madoka grinned.

"Sure, first you—OW."

"Ouch, buchou, what the hell?"

"_Not—_" Tegami had smacked them both on the head, a book in each hand, normally tanned skin growing pale. "—while I'm eating."

Kyou raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Tegami-buchou, don't tell me you're... squeamish?"

Tegami froze. Madoka laughed.

"Ahaha I forgot about that." He said happily. "Yoshiro-san _hates_ that kind of stuff, like blood and horror movies. He can't even read a horror novel without—"

His sentence was cut off as Tegami smacked him in the forhead, with the same book as before, glaring at the smaller male.

"_Madoka_," He growled. "Finish that sentence and I'll post on the school's website how you can't even—"

"OKAY got it I'll stop!" Madoka cried, rubbing his forhead. "Since when did our club become so violent..."

"Since you decided to make friends." The taller said, glancing at Kyou. "Not that I have a problem with it. Less work for me."

Kyou was about to ask him just what the hell that meant, when the signalling lunch's end rang. He sighed.

"Back to the classroom with us, then." He said. He hadn't noticed it before, but his voice had slowly been getting it's usual tone back, though it was still pretty rough.

"Ah, we have PE next." Madoka said, finishing off his drink. Milk, Kyou noticed with slight disgust. He didn't understand how people drank the stuff, it always left a literal bad taste in his mouth. "We need to hurry, I don't want to get locked out again."

"Again?" Kyou asked, grabbing his bag. Tegami chuckled, but made for the door.

"Long story, bad end." He said, turning the handle. "Well, let's go, before I leave you two."

As Madoka hurried ahead of him, Kyou felt the throbbing in his head settle slightly.

_Friends... huh._

While he let himself think about the feeling, he realized something he should have earlier.

_Madoka never mentioned his mother._

**.**

**xXxXxXx**

**.**

A/N: LOOK I ACTUALLY WROTE SOMETHING although it's probably shorter than what I had hoped. But at least it happened *Checks word count on doc manager* OKAY NEVER MIND apparently it was _longer_ than what I wanted, but that's better. As you can see, it'll mostly be their school life for a while before things pick up for real. Also, that trick Madoka did, I wouldn't recommend trying it at home. It hurts and you will probably break your fingers if you're not a pro. On another note, I burned my finger again. In the toaster. You did not read that wrong.

Now, wish me luck on updating _**Unseal**_, at least one chapter should get me going again!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: My mind is going to explode if I write too much again, I just know it. That being said, I'm currently doing this, the final chapter for _**Unseal**_, and two Hunter x Hunter fics that I plan on uploading this month if my schedule allows it. WHY DID SCHOOL HAVE TO START SO SOON ugh I'm losing sleep—and my brother's dog just ran out of the room, that can't be good.

Wanna thank **Spring Zephyr** for helping me out with this chapter, I have never used Skype so much in my life.

**Chapter 9: It's fine**

Apparently, the "project" Tegami had planned was a collaboration novel the club had to write in preparation for the school festival.

_Which is on the same week as nationals,_ Kyou noted silently. _How ironic_. At least with this, he had something to keep his mind off Vanguard.

"As the literature club, we're required to write a 100-page novel with each chapter being done by one member each. Since there's only five of us, we'll do twenty pages each, with five chapters." He looked around from where he stood in the middle of the room. "Any objections?"

Kyou couldn't imagine a person who could object to that tone and glare, although he supposed Madoka probably could. Said boy was staring at his shoes, looking like they were the most interesting things in the world. While he was probably listening, he was sure Tegami was going to drill it into his head after everyone left.

"We'll start with the plot of the story, and chapter one will be written by..." He looked around slowly, and Kyou felt like laughing every time one of the other club members stiffened when his gaze lingered on them. He raised an eyebrow when Tegami smirked at him. "Yahagi."

_Asshole_. He felt his eye twitch. _He did that on purpose_.

"For the story, let's just throw ideas around until we get all the bad ideas out of the way." He said, sitting back down in his seat. He huffed. "Well, what are you all waiting for?"

There was a shuffling sound to the left and Kyou was tempted to glance over, until someone spoke up.

"Maybe we could do something with knights!" One of the other members, whose name Kyou could not remember, said. "You know, a brave knight saves the princess from an evil king..."

She paused at Tegami's bored look, and Kyou rolled his eyes. He could see Madoka shaking slightly, possibly trying to hold in his laughter, and almost laughed too. The idea was so...

"I see we're getting the bad ideas out of the way already." Tegami said, grabbing a piece of paper and writing something down. He then crossed it out, slamming the paper down onto the table. He continued to glare around the room, as if daring anyone to come up with more cliches.

There was a long silence that settled in the room, possibly due to the fact that Tegami looked about ready to snap and reject any idea. Kyou was honestly interested in what he and Madoka had in mind, but refrained from speaking.

Several Vanguard unit lores slowly came to mind, and he was tempted to pull some ideas from them, but stopped himself.

_No Vanguard, no Vanguard, no Vanguard..._ He repeated the two words in his head for several minutes before the door slammed open, causing him to jump. Luckily, no one noticed. He glared at the doorway while Tegami stood. Hagane and two other students stood there.

"Waht the _fuck_, Hagane. Can't you open the door normally?" He shouted, and Kyou never thought he'd see the boy so angry. He was probably thinking about his own ideas for the book, so Kyou could hardly blame him.

Hagane merely glared back at him, sniffing. "As bad tempered as usual, Tegami? You'd think the president of the literature club would be a little more composed than that."

"I'm only pissed because not only did you decide to show your face in my club, you made me lose my idea for the novel." Tegami growled. Kyou watched as Madoka shifted, ready to jump in if need be. "Now tell me what you're here for before I decide to report this."

Hagane scoffed. "Report what? I'm only here because we're looking for someone." His eyes scanned the room, lingering on Kyou for a moment before shifting to his right. Madoka flinched. "You." He said, motioning for the boy to stand. He didn't. "You're coming with us, there's something we need to talk about." He stepped forward, reaching out, before Tegami stepped in between them.

"I don't think so." He said. He had calmed down slightly, but was still very one edge. Especially after seeing who Hagane had come for. "If you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of club activities."

"Activities? All I see is five people sitting awkwardly in a circle while you glare at everything that breathes." Hagane said, and Kyou was tempted to punch the boy in the face just because of the 'Holier-than-thou' attitude he was emitting. Tegami seemed ready to do the same.

"We're planning for the school festival, leave."

"The festival isn't for another two weeks, you have plenty of time."

The two glared at each other, neither willing to back down. Kyou glanced at Madoka, who quietly sighed and stood up. Their attention was immediately drawn to him.

"I'll go, so just shut up already." He said in a low voice. Kyou raised both eyebrows.

_Yup, tooootally bipolar_. He thought. He'd need to confirm this later, maybe with someone he thought was less likely to kill him on the spot. He watched as Tegami stepped out of the way, watching the shorter boy warily. He didn't seem willing to stop him, which was probably due to his sudden change in attitude. He'd been so quiet earlier...

The air was suddenly much heavier.

"Well? I thought you needed to talk to me." His tone hadn't changed, and Kyou was startled at the way his eyes gleamed. He'd never noticed before that one was gold while the other was green. "I'm waiting."

Hagane seemed to be as shocked as well, and Tegami looked as though he was fighting a smirk. Perhaps this was something only he knew about. Now Kyou was curious.

It wasn't until the door closed after the four that he let go of a breath he hadn't known he was holding. There was whispering beside him, and he didn't have to strain his ears to hear them.

"Yamato-sempai was pretty scary..."

"Yeah, he's usually so quiet..."

He didn't want to listen, he'd heard too many whispers lately and he was getting tired of it. He looked up at Tegami, who was slumping into his chair, leaning into it. He looked tired.

"Club is dismissed for today, report tomorrow on the dot and we'll continue with ideas." He said, closing his eyes. The two other members stood quickly and hurried out the door. Kyou leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee and his cheek in his hand. Tegami cracked open an eye.

"Aren't you going home?" He asked, and Kyou gave an airy laugh.

"Not if I can help it. Club doesn't officially end for another half hour, and I wanna use whatever excuse I can to stay out of my house." He smirked. He didn't care if it seemed like he was purposely avoiding his family, he didn't care who knew. And he knew Tegami wouldn't say anything, even if he had to.

"Suit yourself."

* * *

It was another forty-five minutes later when Madoka returned to the club room, and was surprised to see both Tegami and Kyou waiting for him. While Kyou waved when he walked in, Tegami merely stood up and handed him his bag, walking out the door past him. Kyou followed, Madoka at his side. He was oddly quiet, and Kyou was tempted to ask what was wrong, when Tegami beat him to it.

"He still bothering you about that?"

Kyou wasn't sure if he was meant to hear this conversation, but seeing as neither was telling him to leave nor being secretive about it, he supposed there was nothing wrong with listening in. Madoka nodded.

"He said the club is in danger of disbanding anyways, and that I'd be better off somewhere where my reading skills could be used..." His voice was quiet, and he shook his head. "After I said no he suggested I join kendo or the karate club, but..."

"You said you want to stay in the literature club, right?" Tegami's voice rose a little, and he glanced down at the boy. Madoka nodded. He sighed. "Then it's fine."

"Hey." Kyou spoke up, and Madoka jumped, as if just noticing him. Tegami looked over. "Is Hagane bothering you or something."

Tegami sighed again. "It's been like that since last year, since I made he lit club he's been trying to make my life a living hell. Madoka just happens to be caught in the middle." He said. Madoka's grip on his bag tightened. "I don't know why Hagane's started targeting him though, but it's been happening a lot more lately."

"Can't you report him for harassment?" Kyou asked, surprised that neither boy had thought of it. Tegami shook his head.

"I tried, but..." He looked over at Madoka. "This guy won't let me, he thinks it'll pass over eventually." Madoka frowned.

"I don't want to take any risks." He said. "Besides, he's got more influence with the teachers. There's no way they'll believe us."

_Unless you have a third party intervene._ Kyou thought. It was something he knew well, back at Foo Fighters. Whenever someone was being bullied, they'd try to tell the instructor, but they were never believed if the person doing the bullying happened to be a higher rank. Unless they had another three people to back them up, they weren't even taken into consideration. _That guy is using his status to his advantage_.

Well, if he was going to make anyone's life harder, he knew just who to target now.

They were almost out the school gates when he heard someone calling his name. He looked up, frowning as a familiar black car came into view.

"Fuck my life..." He mumbled. All three stopped in their tracks, Tegami and Madoka giving him odd looks. "My dad is here, this can't be good."

"Your dad?" Madoka asked, looking over to the man. "Is that a bad thing?"

"For my sanity it is." He snorted. Then he sighed. "Sorry, looks like this is where I make my leave."

"It's fine, Yahagi-kun—"

"Kyou is fine." He grinned. "I don't like my family name much either. So from now on, you guys are calling me by my first name." _Because it's one of the few things thats mine..._

Madoka repeated the name under his breath several times before grinning back, and Tegami let a small smile slip.

"Kyou-kun it is then." Madoka said happily. He held his hand up, and Kyou stared at it for a moment before pressing his palm to the other boy's. This was his way of saying bye? He didn't mind.

"Then, see you tomorrow, Kyou." Tegami said, patting his shoulder. He and Madoka waved past him, walking in the opposite direction as him down the street. He waved back for a moment before turning to his father, who was watching from across the street.

"What." He said as he approached. His father shook his head.

"Nothing."

* * *

He locked himself up in his room the moment he got home, glad that the drive was quiet. He couldn't help but feel like his father was planning something, and was going to ask him about Madoka and Tegami, but let the thoughts drift away. He didn't need to think about his family any more than neccessary.

There was a knock on his door thirty minutes later as he opened the bottom drawer of his desk, and he groaned.

"Kyou, mom says it's time for dinner. And if you say you're not hungry, I'm calling bull." Mamoru said, and Kyou could practically see the smirk on his face.

He quickly pulled out a small box and placed it on the desk, walking over to the door. He hadn't changed out of his uniform yet, but it wasn't like he cared about his appearance at home. But some people did.

Mamoru frowned as he looked him up and down. "You didn't change."

"Does it matter?" He asked. His voice had been improving a little, and there was just that dull pain at the back of his throat now. That could change the moment his brother decide to argue with him, however.

"No, but... you know what? Nevermind, I don't really care." Mamoru said after a moment. Kyou hoped the surprise didn't show on his face.

"Neither do I..."

He didn't like this change, as small as it was. But he'd have to put up with it.

It was fifteen minutes into dinner when his earlier suspicions were confirmed.

"Kyou, who were those boy with you?" His father asked. He nearly choked on his food.

"What... do you mean?" He asked slowly. His father cleared his throat.

"The two that were with you at the gate, you were talking with them." There was a suspicious tone in his father's voice, but Kyou didn't dare point it out. He focused instead on thinking about how to explain Madoka and Tegami. They were watching him expectantly, even Mamoru.

"One's my classmate and the other is the president of the literature club." He said simply. They didn't need to know more than that, after all.

"What are their names?" His father continued. Kyou's eyebrow twitched.

"Why." He didn't want to know, but at the same time, he didn't want to answer either. His father frowned.

"If they are your friends, I think we should at least know their names." He said, and it was Kyou's turn to frown.

"It's not like I'm going to talk about them to you, if that's what you're implying. And I never said they're my friends." It was a lie, by now he thought of them as such. But he didn't need to let them know that. Besides, his parents would probably snoop around if he let them know. "I don't have to tell you anything that you don't need to know."

"If they're not your friends then you should have no problem. You told us Suzugamori Ren's name."

That was it.

Kyou slammed his chopsticks on the table, standing up so quickly his chair nearly fell over. Mamoru caught it as it tilted back.

"_Never—_" He started, and he could practically _feel_ his pupils thinning. "—mention that name to me again."

He turned around and walked back to his room, the kitchen silent for once.

* * *

He opened his laptop, immediately logging into his email. He'd redirected all his subscriptions(the non Vanguard ones)to his new one and changed the ones on any accounts he had on other sites. He'd also re-submitted it to the literature club with no explanation, but it wasn't like Tegami had asked for one.

There was only one message, which barely surprised him. It was from Tegami, probably something about the club.

**Sender: Yoshiro Tegami**

**Subject: Madoka**

Kyou blinked. He blinked again. He re-read the subject box several times before scrolling down to the message.

**Message: Won't be in school tomorrow. Hagane said something to him. Going to his house after school. You're coming.**

It wasn't a question, nor was it a request. It was an order.

Kyou let a grin slowly spread over his face. He never thought he'd be taking orders from someone again.

This time, he really didn't mind.

**.**

**xXxXxXx**

**.**

A/N: Chapters have been getting longer and longer, I've noticed. That's a good thing, right? One or two more chapters before we get out of the school-home life jumping and actually get to the plot. As you can see, Madoka and Yoshiro are getting a little(or a lot) more screentime, but Kyou is still our main character. Besides, it's still really early, it's not like I can do much... wish me luck on the next chapter. Until then, I'm going to re-watch HxH Phantom Rouge. Two times was not enough for this movie.


End file.
